Claim to Fame

Corey's been hired by the city to help oversee and work on some of the inner city rejuvenation projects.

Biography

Ask Corey Coleman where he was born and he'll give you a casual shrug. "What's it matter? I'm here. That's what counts." Then, he'll flash that charming farmboy-turns-cityboy smile at you and change the subject. Truth is, though, he doesn't actually know. He *assumes* it was Houston, 'cause that's where he grew up. But, who really knows? It is, however, about the only thing about himself he doesn't know. He was six months old when he came to be adopted by Molly and Simon Coleman. If you ask him who his parents are, that's who he'll name.

The facts are these: Corey's birth parents were both pureblooded shifters. What happened to them, none of the Colemans actually know. But through the shifter grapevine, Simon and Molly got wind of a youngster born to shifter parents that was now in danger of being buried in the CAS system. This, they realized, wasn't necessarily the ideal spot for a kid that might someday sprout fur, or feathers, and a tail… nevermind potential fangs and claws. So, for all that they had a newborn of their own at home, they applied to adopt the little fellow. By the time he was six months old, Corey was offically a Coleman and Brett, no more than three months his elder, officially had a baby brother.

His childhood was a happy one. Simon and Molly were both grounded, down-to-earth people. They accepted each boy as individuals, never demanding that one be like the other, only that each do their best in all things. It was just as well. Of the two of them, Corey was definitely the more physical. His childhood was an endless succession of athletic activities and boyish scrapes, cuts, and bruises. Oh, and for years he lorded it over his brother that, while Brett was a tree in their grade three class play, Corey got to be a dog… "And you know what dogs do to trees!" Not, mind, that he fared any better when it came to handling puberty and the opposite sex. He just had the advantage of being the "jock" in the family, which was otherwise a bunch of academics and geeks… albeit creative ones. (His mother, Molly, was an art teacher; his father, Simon, worked for IBM.)

To say he was an indifferent student isn't true. He was a solid student, usually with B's and B+'s when he applied himself. His problem was that academics didn't overly interest him. Oh, he got the concepts quickly enough. The boy's not stupid. He simply found it difficult to care about stuff that he couldn't apply practically. He was great with his hands, however, always tinkering and building things. What started out as a fondness for building blocks in kindergarten developed into a full-blown, epic collection of Lego and Meccano by the time he was in high school. It was the one thing that helped him fit in with his geeky family, really. He loved to build.

Brett experienced his first shift earlier than Corey. It was probably the one time in his life that Corey was actually jealous of his brother. It was also the only time he felt like he didn't belong in the family. That Molly and Simon were shifters was something the boys had known since a very early age. Indeed, they were thoroughly schooled in shifter realities, even while they were told that the gift was unpredictable. There was no guarantee either of them would inherit the ability — especially Corey, since the Colemans had no idea if his parents had more than one child and if he was the one with the activated gene or not. Even so, the pair were taught everything they could be taught about the gift. For them, being a shifter wasn't something to be feared, it was something to be respected. Sure, they had to hide it from the rest of humanity, but that was more sensible precaution than a mark of shame.

So, when Brett slunk home after his first change, well after the truck had been towed and his parents had to pull it out of impound, Corey teased him mercilessly about his "joyride". That… and the fact Brett could easily have ended up an armadillo, instead of a coyote. Now, years later, it's become something of an in-joke between the two of them. Over the years, Corey's ensured Brett has a prodigious collection of armadillo-related goods — including Dill, a giant stuffed armadillo Corey won for him at a county fair the summer between high school and college. (In fact, he pissed off his girlfriend at the time by denying her the gift in favor of giving it to his brother, instead.)

Corey's own change happened six or eight months after Brett's. He'd grabbed Brett and told him, full moon or not, they were going camping for a week. Besides, what better place for Brett to stretch his furry legs than in the woods, right? Corey figured he'd mind the campsite while his brother went furry. And hey… if he happened to go furry in the process himself, what did it matter? As long as he didn't turn into a squirrel.

Truthfully, he didn't actually figure there was much hope of him turning into anything… squirrel or otherwise. So, after Brett had gone off to 'do the deed', as it were, he found himself bouncing restlessly about the campsite all alone. So, he went for a hike to burn off some excess energy. Well, he burned off *lots* of energy. The next day, Brett found him, passed him an extra pair of jeans, and said, "C'mon, Skippy. Time to go home." (As in: Skippy the Squirrel, chipper nephew to Animanics' curmudgeony Slappy the Squirrel… Though, in fact, Corey had transformed into a catamount of the lynx variety.)

Beyond high school, Corey thought about becoming an architectural engineer. He applied to Rice University, in Houston, and got himself a BA, focusing on architecture. But, his GPA was fairly mundane. Too, tuition was expensive. Many of the odd jobs he kept to afford it were on build sites, apprenticing as a carpenter and builder. Thus, by the time he'd graduated from Rice, it only took a few more months of study to get himself licensed as a building contractor. So, that's now how he pays the bills. Sure, he'd still like to actually become an architect, one day, but that's expensive. And it means an awful lot of school. So, for now, contracting seems like a pretty good gig to him. His schedule's flexible and his work takes him all over. With talk of rejuvenating the inner city, Dallas seemed like a pretty good place to relocate. Add to it the fact Brett found himself a job there, and Corey figured it was damn near perfect.

Someone's gotta keep him outta trouble, after all.

Character Details

Corey Coleman is a fairly upbeat sort of person. He's had very little angst in his life and grew up in a supportive environment, surrounded by a tight-knit, adoptive family that never made him feel anything but like he was their own flesh and blood. As a result, he's one of those enviable people whose laid-back confidence comes from knowing who he is, where he's from, and more-or-less where he's going.

Having said that, while he can be entirely charming — in a roguish, boy-next-door sort of way — he's very forthright about what he thinks and feels. There's no duplicity in him at all, even when he tries. What you see is what you get, when it comes to Corey. He's as honest as the day is long and as upstanding as any red-blooded American boy.

That's not to say that he's a saint. Far from it. He does have a tendency, on occasion, to leap before he looks — much to his brother's chagrin, no doubt. Too much talk bores him, unless his passion's engaged in it somehow. He's much happier *doing*, rather than *waiting*. He's no activist or paragon, not the type to fight for underdogs just because they're underdogs or to carry a cause just because its a good cause. But, that doesn't mean he won't fight when he needs to. He was raised to be fair-minded, open-handed, and courteous, and to never do less than his best… so help him God. He treats others as equals and expects to be treated that way in kind.

Shifting

Cory's a pureblooded shifter from two pureblooded parents, so he can shift on demand. His primary animal, the one he doesn't have to think about, is the lynx, though he can change into others with proper study and preparation… providing its the last animal he sees.

Tradesman

Corey's a builder. Has been since he was a kid. Went through an apprenticeship as well as some schooling for it. He's good, too. Works as a building contractor, which — sure — is a little more administrative than he'd like, sometimes, but that doesn't mean he's afraid to get his hands dirty. Indeed, he loves getting his hands dirty like that. His best talents lie in woodworking and carpentry… he's got a real gift for that, but he's no slouch at the rest of what needs doing, either.

Craftsman

In recent years, Corey's picked up wood carving as a hobby. He takes pieces of wood from the countryside he hikes through and turns them into attractive, artistic figures and functional objects. One day, he might be good enough to make a living out of it. Right now, it's something he does for fun.

Gut Instinct

Otherwise known as 'discernment', Corey relies a lot on instinct to tell him if something's right or wrong. He's always aware of his surroundings and the subtle clues given off by other people and animals around him… he's just not *consciously* aware of it. He's not infallible, of course, but, typically, his gut instinct is right more often than it's wrong.

Athletic

Corey stands 6'3", weighs about 175 lbs, and has been playing sports all his life. He's no body builder and he's not quite good enough for the pros, but he can hold his own, to be sure. His best sports are basketball and baseball, being just a little too light-weight for football. He's also an avid hiker, camper, and outdoorsman.

Parkour

This specific, and unusual sport is one of Corey's passions. He trains regularly in it. It ties into the daredevil nature that occasionally rises its head in him. Parkour combines running, jumping, simple acrobatics, and the surrounding environment in fluid efficiency. There's something about the philosophy behind the sport that really appeals to him — being able to move past any obstacle that presents itself as swiftly, elegantly, and proficiently as possible. And, okay, if it happens to allow him to show off on occasion, so much the better.

Brawler

When Corey fights — which isn't all that often, but it's been known to happen — he's a scrapper. He doesn't know martial arts at all, and could probably have his clock cleaned by anyone with a high level of training. But, his natural athleticism stands him in good stead. He can duck and weave with the best of them and usually give as good as he gets, if not better on occasion.

Shifting

A weakness as much as a gift, shifting sure as hell can get in the way, sometimes. How's a guy supposed to carry on a normal social life — or even work life? — if he has to worry about sprouting fur and a claws every month? He's always having to arrange his schedule around the cycle of the moon. For at least a week surrounding the full moon each month, he needs to be absolutely aware of where he is, where he's going, and what time he expects to be anywhere. Because when that moon shows its face, he's toast. It's a royal pain in the ass, some days. No spur-of-the-moment, one-night-flings for him.

Keeping Secrets

For a forthright guy like Corey, having to keep his shifting a secret is a real pain. Usually, he sucks at lying. Really, really sucks. He's too open with his emotions. They're usually written all over his face. But, he's had years of practice at this one, and its the one lie he can't avoid telling. "Naw, sorry, guys. Can't this weekend. Got a family thing…" Well, not a complete lie, perhaps, but try telling your girl friend she can't come over because you got a family thing every month that she can't come to. That doesn't go over. So, he's picked up his brother's habit of being non-commital when necessary. Doesn't mean he likes it, though. (It definitely makes him grumpy.)

Tenaciously Bullheaded

Corey's instincts are usually good. But he doesn't always follow the same logical process his more reason-biased brother might. Thus, sometimes he get things wrong. Or he'll get things right for the wrong reasons and jump to erroneous conclusions. Whatever the case, once Corey gets something into his head, once he's decided that his gut's telling him to do one thing or another, he doesn't let it go and no amount of reason will truly deter him from following it through. (If anyone's going to reach him when he gets like that, it's Brett.) As a result, he's been known to make some pretty boneheaded moves and rash decisions based entirely on a 'hunch'. It's just a good thing he's not much of a gambler. At least, not with his money.

Daredevil

Corey likes a dare. He'll do a lot on a dare. Usually physical dares, but sometimes social ones, too. It's not a macho-ism thing. It's not about proving he's not a coward. But, he'll do crazy things on a dare that he wouldn't do otherwise, just to prove that a) it can be done and b) he can do it. He's something of an adrenaline junkie in that way. He loves the rush he gets from success. Now, this isn't to say he doesn't try to be smart about it. If he thinks it's truly life-threatening, he'll at least think to take a few almost sensible precautions. And if it's illegal… well, as long as it's not likely to hurt anyone else and he's not likely going to get caught, he just might still consider it. It all depends on the situation. (He'll never willingly do anything that would lead someone else to harm or result in loss or destruction of property. But, he'll consider tresspassing or similar misdemeanors on occasion.) As a result, he sometimes finds himself needlessly in precarious or otherwise very sticky predicaments.

Corey met Ronnie in Glencoe Park one night. She's decided she likes him. A lot. He's decided she's loopy… but freakin' hilarious and generally as harmless as an insane vampire can be. She wants to claim him for his own protection. He sees her point… but won't concede it.

Corey's first RP. He's out for an evening's stroll when he interrupts Ronnie, a crazy stuck-in-the-80's Madonna-the-early-years vampire… with a yen for evil, fluffy bunnies. (Thanks to Ronnie for actually going to the trouble of editing and posting this.)